LETTERS: Since even before Covid-19, vaccines have offered much relief.
Despite the eventual success against Covid-19, many vaccine disbelievers continue to sow doubts about vaccines.
What became clear is that vaccine manufacturers around the world earned good money.
We, in Malaysia, had to resort to diplomatic means to obtain them. Demand exceeded supply. Many countries, especially in Africa, were denied access to vaccines.
It was fortunate that some developed economies had more than the needed doses.
The world experienced a sad case of vaccine inequity. It was a lesson for all.
The Malaysian government then decided to venture into the vaccine business as an industry.
A vaccine development roadmap was launched through the joint efforts of the then Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and the Health Ministry.
Many stakeholders from the public and private sectors were engaged.
The aspiration was to make Malaysia self-sufficient in vaccine manufacturing and research and development (R&D) within 10 years.
The roadmap can mitigate risks by leveraging Malaysia's physical infrastructure and government support.
The roadmap spells out the short-, medium- and long-term strategies to build the vaccine industry.
The focus areas include governance, manufacturing, clinical trials, talent development, technology acquisition and development, and vaccine communication.
The R&D strategy is key to the success of the roadmap.
It is only proper that the National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia is given the task to coordinate the technology strategy.
Under the National Institutes of Biotechnology Malaysia (NIBM), the Malaysian Genome Institute (MGI) has been identified to play a key role.
Now renamed, Malaysian Genome and Vaccine Institute (MGVI), the institute should be empowered to execute the initiatives under the roadmap.
In fact, NIBM should anchor the country's R&D alliance on the bigger area of biotechnology, which experts view as the strategic technology area for future vaccine development.
Clearly, building a vaccine industry requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach.
The government, industry and academia should collaborate to foster knowledge-sharing, technology transfer and capacity building.
A strong intellectual property rights framework is needed to protect vaccine innovations.
This encourages investment in R&D by ensuring that companies can monetise their research outputs.
We must encourage local production to reduce dependence on imported vaccines and ensure timely availability.
We need to address logistical challenges, improving cold chain infrastructure and implementing supply chain management systems.
We must obtain recognition and acceptance of domestically produced vaccines in the global market.
Public awareness campaigns to educate the public about the importance of vaccines is necessary as we saw during the pandemic.
This will help build confidence in domestically produced vaccines.
Building a vaccine industry requires long-term commitment, sustained investment and collaboration between government, industry, academia and other stakeholders.
It is essential to align efforts with global health priorities, ensure regulatory compliance and prioritise public health outcomes to establish a vaccine industry.
The government has made the right decision to deploy the roadmap to guide the industry. What is left is to empower the many initiatives with funding for implementation.
In technology development, the MGVI under NIBM should now operationalise an R&D alliance on vaccine development not just for infectious diseases but also non-communicable diseases like cancer.
PROFESSOR DATUK DR AHMAD IBRAHIM
Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy
UCSI University
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times